


Blue Dove Tattoo

by TheUnicornOnSet



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Crush at First Sight, F/M, Motorcycles, No Smut, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 01:47:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13471116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUnicornOnSet/pseuds/TheUnicornOnSet
Summary: Of blue hair, fast bikes and the cruel works of fate.





	Blue Dove Tattoo

**Author's Note:**

> To those of you, who are looking for something happy to lift your spirits, I can only say: "Fly, you fools!"

‘Is everyone in this town so fucking slow?’ I thought, waiting in line in a liquor store, looking at my phone for the 20th time. My arm started to get cold, and the condensate from the pack of beer I cradled to my side soaked my shirt.  
Another reason not to like Greendale, as if I needed any more. Even a quick stop for beer and cigarettes turned into a disaster, just like the rest of my day had already.

It hadn’t even been noon when Tallboy kicked against my door, startling me enough to almost drop out of bed.

“Just get that one part for the Wyrms water heater.” he'd said, "Already ordered it last week, so you'll be in and out in 5 minutes."

Yeah right. Apparently, the store had had no record of an order. I had waited two whole hours for a clerk and the manager to discuss that fact and another three hours for them to chase down the part I needed. Now it was wrapped in paper, stuffed into the back of my bike, and I still didn't know what purpose it had.

At least I had plans for the rest of the day. I was pretty sure the text I got from Toni, suggesting to spend the evening at the quarry, was the only reason why I didn't throttle the clueless clerk right inside his hardware store.

A bell signaled someone had entered after me, but I didn't bother turning around anymore. At least another four people were waiting behind me, shuffling and sighing to voice their annoyance.

When it was finally my turn to pay, I glared at the little "trainee" sign on the cashier's shirt while he paused to think after every button he pressed. If I had been a little less broke, I would've just shoved some money in his face and ran right out of the store, but sadly I needed the change back, or I would have to go hungry tonight.

Even though the pale guy behind the counter took forever, he didn't think to ask for an ID. Like that, his first day would probably be the last one too.

Being so eager to get out of there I dropped my cigarettes. The guy next in line bumped into me, and I was about to give him a piece of my mind, but the grumpy ginger turned out to be even taller than me and twice as broad.  
Sometimes you just have to pick your battles.

 

I squeezed between the people waiting in line and a shelf of tiny pink Prosecco bottles when I spotted the first hint of blue.

As soon as I could see her clearly, I slowed down and stared, probably making a fool of myself as she noticed me and tilted her head curiously. A few short strands of cornflower blue hair fell into her eyes as she looked up to me. The girl had to be around my age but couldn't have been more than 5'2" even with the biker boots. In search of something to say my brain drew a blank, and I was almost relieved when the big guy from before started to shove me toward the exit.

In the graveled parking lot, I began pacing, silently cursing myself. I had to think of something to start a conversation.

Seemingly casual I leaned against my bike, straightening my serpent jacket. No point in hiding it now, the girl must've seen it on my way out anyway.

Nothing happened for a long time, and I started to look around. The tall ginger had already taken his rusty truck and left, so there were only a few ordinary family cars spread about. I wondered which of them would be hers when I noticed the sleek black Triumph Rocket behind me, a bright blue helmet dangling from one of the mirrors.

'If this is hers I have to marry her on the spot.' I mused, admiring the motorcycle from all angles.

Of course, as I checked out the spotless rear fender I heard a voice, "Get your hands off my lady, please."

 

Startled I turned around. The girl crossed her arms over her chest looking amused. I had no clue how long she'd watched me practically drooling over her vehicle.

"Um... hi. I'm Sweet Pea." I blurted after a few seconds of staring.

She lifted a brow in question, "Like the plant?"

Its been a while since I had used my "real" name, but for once I wished I had started with it. Now she's gonna think I'm weird, or worse, just start laughing. Nobody had dared to do that for years now.

"Okay then, I'm Grace. Nice to catch you. You like her?" she asked when I didn't answer.

"Huh? Oh! Oh yeah, she's great. Looks a little heavy though." I mused.

"Heavy?!" she snapped. "You think I can't handle her?"

This was definitely not what I meant, but she did have a point. The bike must've been at least 800lbs, and she looked like I could lift her one-armed without breaking a sweat. Grace took a few steps toward me and really had to look up now to continue her glare. Her grey eyes squinted in a way that scrunched up her freckled nose a little, and I couldn't decide if she was really mad or not.

"You're too fucking tall, you know that? Bet you look like a clown riding a tricycle on that bike of yours," she said squaring her shoulders.

"Your one to talk. I didn't even know they sold leather jackets that small." I shot back, pointing at the short black coat over the torn Thin Lizzy Shirt.

She stared at me for a second before she burst out laughing, almost doubling over.  
"Wow, that was so bad. I really thought you had to be a little smarter to be a gang member." she gasped, still laughing and wiping away a tear.

"And you think laughing about said gang member is smart?" I asked, failing to suppress a smile.

"Why not? What're you gonna do? Chase me away with your sharp wit?" Grace teased, clearly enjoying herself.

"Oh, you would be surprised," I answered, trying to tell if she was flirting too or just being a general smartass.

"Hmm... is that so?" she mused, leaning even closer and making my breath hitch. Now I certainly understood those poor saps in movies. Grace really made it hard for me to think straight.

"In that case I better hope you won't catch me!" she blurted and turned to jump on her bike.

I still stood staring dumbly when she shoved her helmet on her head with one hand and started to rev the engine with the other.

"What the hell?!" I mumbled, finally getting a move on and hopping on my motorcycle.

 

She was already at the exit when I started driving, thankfully taking a turn towards Riverdale. To be honest, though, I probably would have followed her anyway.

Judging by her speed she must've known what she's doing, so it took me a few minutes to catch up with her. She started to drive in wavy lines for a bit, when she noticed me. I couldn't see her face, but I was pretty sure she was smiling.

I made sure the road was clear and pulled up beside her. The stretch just before Riverdale was broad and straight with nothing to see but trees left and right, but today it was perfect.

We started racing a little, and she was ahead most of the time, no hard feat with that machine of hers. We never strayed too far from each other though. I hoped that meant Grace would follow me when the sharp turn left lead to the Southside.

Thinking about it, I had no clue where to bring her. Showing her the run-down trailer park might scare her away and set a rather abrupt end to our time together.

I must've been in thought for a while because when I heard a string of obnoxious honks behind me, a violet Mustang had gotten pretty close already. It swerved left and right over both lanes and kept coming closer.

"Great, the fucking Ghoulies." I cursed silently. They were probably still pissed about the botched race last week. Now that most of their leaders were rotting in custody they had lost even the last scrap of order they'd possessed before.

I watched Grace, but I couldn't determine if those tailgating thugs scared her. When she looked over, I couldn't do more than attempt a shrug, and we picked up speed. 

The Ghoulies now alternated between getting to close and falling behind a little, of course still honking like sugar-hyped children with a toy. The sun was setting, but I could see enough to know the junction we needed was up soon. I tried to signal Grace that we had to go left next, without making it too obvious. She nodded slightly and straightened her back, now visibly uncomfortable. Me being a Serpent got her into this situation, and the first stirrings of guilt tasted bitter on the back of my tongue.

The streetlights came closer, and I breathed a little lighter. As soon as we would hit Serpent territory, the Ghoulies would have to bolt or risk a fight they couldn't win.

I knew the turn would be sharp so I leaned into the curve as deep as I could. Surprisingly I felt Grace follow me pretty smoothly, and I smirked. She was good.

 

A loud crunching sound just to my left made me flinch. I saw Grace's bike flip over from the corner of my eye and hit the brakes. Looking over my shoulder in a panic, I could only see the Ghoulies coming to a halt. Their left headlight flickered, and the front seemed to be seriously dented.

'They must've rammed her, or at least the back wheel.' I thought numbly as I stumbled off my bike, letting it fall over and slide to a halt a little further.

The Ghoulies never got out of their car and reversed a few minutes later as I tried to follow the train of shattered metal pieces and skid marks. I didn't pay them much attention. I would get them soon enough.

"When did it get so fucking dark?" I swore under my breath stepping through the thick thorned bushes just beside the curb. You could still see the last of the setting sun reflected in the clouds, but everything around me was already painted in black. The streetlight that had just filled me with hope didn't help either.

Suddenly there where short flashes of light a bit to my right and I almost tripped over what was left of a back wheel leaning separately a few inches apart from the rest of the machine. It was the taillight that had been flickering like it was calling for help.

Phone in hand to shed a little light I recognized Grace lying crushed under her bike, covered in blood and breathing too shallow. I shoved it off her with my shoulder, and she gasped relieved.

"Thanks, got a little cramped there for a second," she muttered, and I tried to see her injuries without blinding her with the flashlight. It wasn't working though, there was just to much blood. Pieces of glass and metal protruded from her arms and neck, and at least one leg must've been broken from the way she flinched every time she moved it involuntarily. Although it was the stream of blood that matted her hair, that worried me the most.

 

"Should've fastened my helmet," she chuckled and tried to look at me, but I held her head in place.  
"Please don't move. I'll call an ambulance, okay? Just stay still." I ordered calmly.

It took a while to describe my location, but I ended the call a few minutes later and noticed how badly I was shaking. Grace took my left hand and held it without saying a word. We sat like that for a while, and I felt better.

"Now that we are getting through this dramatic episode together are you gonna tell me your real name?" she asked quietly. I didn't have to see her, to know she was smirking.

"No way. You didn't even lose a limb. You don't get my name that easy." I quipped back.

"Hmmph. Killjoy," she muttered, and I laughed at the absurdity of this conversation. She smiled genuinely, and I thanked the dark for hiding my blush.

"So, how bad is it?" she asked motioning to her bike.

"The back doesn't look too pretty right now, but it's nothing we can't fix," I assured her, but I didn't know if there was even enough left to repair.

"My poor dove," she sighed.

I sat up straight when I heard the first sirens in the distance.

"Finally! Took 'em long enough!" I grumbled and stood up looking around. Nothing to see yet but the lonely streetlights.

"Don't worry, they're gonna patch you up in no time," I said dropping back down beside her.

 

Grace's eyes weren't open anymore.

"No! Please don't!" I half-screamed, shaking her a little. "You hit your head, you can't sleep now." I continued, patting her cheeks but getting no reaction.

I tried to find her pulse, but my hands were shaking again. That must've been the reason I didn't feel anything.  
'I'm just fumbling around too much, that's all.' I thought, breathing deep to calm myself.

"Maybe I'm just making it worse," I whispered hesitating while doing CPR. The compressions probably weren't even working, but I didn't dare press any harder in fear of hurting her even more.

The sirens were now close enough to hurt my ears, but I still heard the ambulance pulling up to the curb. I started shouting and waved my flashlight.

Two men and a woman in white worked on her after they shoved me aside. I didn't know what to do so I stayed where I was. Kneeling in the dirt a few feet away, thorns digging into my skin, unsure what was happening.

The guys went and got a stretcher, and I hoped they would finally move Grace to get her out of here and into a hospital.

 

 

You know, sometimes one sound is enough. Sometimes the perfectly ordinary sound of a zipper is enough to make you vomit into some bushes a few miles from your home. Sometimes that sound is all you need to know.

But I still had to watch them carry the gurney back toward the ambulance, now not in a hurry anymore.

The woman almost had to drag me up to push me inside, cramped beside the big black bag on the stretcher. She cleaned my hands and arms of Grace's blood to see if I was injured. I would have told her no if she'd asked, but maybe she did, and I just didn't notice.

 

FP was there even before the police, he just sat beside me on that cold wooden bench in an almost silent waiting room, one hand on my shoulder. He listened quietly while I told Sheriff Keller and some new guy how an unknown car had crashed into my girl and left without offering help.

"Probably an accident and they panicked," Keller mumbled and tried to look sympathetic. I nodded.

It was already dawn when we stepped out of the main entrance into the cold morning air. I heaved into their roses.

We sat in FP's truck for a while before he asked, "Who?"

"Ghoulies, at least three. Violet Mustang." I answered numbly and handed him my phone. It only showed an open notepad with the signs of a license plate.

 

~

 

_"I held her close, I kissed her our last kiss_  
_I found the love that I knew I would miss_  
_But now she's gone, even though I hold her tight_  
_I lost my love, my life that night._

_Oh, where oh where can my baby be?_  
_The Lord took her away from me_  
_She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good_  
_So I can see my baby when I leave this world."_

Last Kiss - Pearl Jam

**Author's Note:**

> Ps.: Wear your helmets properly!
> 
> PPs.: Refresh your CPR knowledge once in a while!
> 
> PPPs.: If you happen to be the kind of person that likes to buy absurdly expensive gifts for strangers... I wouldn't say no to a sweet Rocket III Roadster for myself. Just sayin'...


End file.
